To make sure you are making the correct choice in your next embedded
design means that you need to know as much about open source operating systems
alternatives as you do about your commercial RTOS: when to use Linux or Android
and when not to, when to use them in combination and the criteria by which
to make such decisions.

[Click
here to register for DESIGN West 2013, April 22-25 at the San Jose
McEnery Convention Center. Options range from an All-Access Pass -- which
includes Black Hat (security) Conference Session to Free Expo Admission].

Multicore
Thread to CPU Mapping on Linux and other RTOSes (ESC-305)
in which Fridtjof Siebert, CTO, aicas GmbH, will compare the performance
of strategies for mapping threads to CPUs in these systems, with particular
emphasis on Linux with PREEMPT_RT patch and other real-time OSes provide
means to restrict the OS's scheduler to run certain threads on specific CPUs.
He will analyze how application performance can be improved using these mechanisms.

“Real-Time
Linux: Not So Fast!” (ESC-308), in which William Gatliff will
deal with the fact that although Linux has a well-deserved reputation for
not being a "real-time kernel", there are work-arounds that will help the
developer adapt it so that it is real-time enough for many embedded designs.

To do this he will focus on various POSIX.1b system calls related to
scheduling, memory management, timing, and other critical functions and how
to pick the right Linux distribution that has been enhanced for true real-time
work.

“Debugging
Techniques for Embedded Android and Linux” (AC-200) in which
Ryan Kuester of Insymbols will discuss and demonstrate different debugging
tools including Eclipse, DDMS, MAT, oprofile, strace, and gdbserver as well
as how to make the choice of the right tool and how to interpret the results.
It is one of three classes, interested developers must take to gain Android
Certification.

For more background on the conference and some of the recent Embedded.com
design articles, webinars and technical white papers on these topics I recommend
this week’s Embedded Tech Focus Newsletter on “Riding the Linux/Android
wave.” In addition, there are a number of other design articles that
I think will complement what you will learn at ESC DESIGN West including:

As you learn more about Linux, Android and other open source ways of
doing embedded design, you will no doubt come up with insights and tricks
that are worth sharing with your fellow developers. I look forward to hearing
from you and how we can work together to develop blogs or design articles
on the site.